Asian teams have bridged gap with rest of the world: Souness

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Bengaluru, July 30: The 2019 AFC Asian Cup, which is biggest battle for continental supremacy in the region, is less than five months away. The battlelines for the quadrennial tournament to be held in the UAE from January 5 to February 1 has been drawn.

For the first time in the competition's history a record 24 teams will be in fray.
Five of those 24 teams - reigning champions Australia, runners-up South Korea and past champions Japan, Iran and Saudi Arabia - were in action in the recently concluded 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Though barring Japan all the other teams exited in the group stage, the performance of South Korea and Iran won praise from all quarters.

South Korea stunned 2014 world champions Germany in their last group-stage match while Iran gave a scare to fancied teams like European powerhouses Portugal and Japan.

Japan had only themselves to blame after frittering away a 2-0 lead to go down 2-3 to Belgium in the round-of-16 tie.

Graeme Souness, a veteran of three World Cups for Scotland and a renowned television pundit these days, is one of those in the ever-swelling list, who is impressed by the progress made by the Asian nations.

"Iran, South Korea and Japan, in particular, proved they have bridged the gap somewhat with Europe and South America. I think all those teams have become more tactically aware," Souness told Qatar 2022 World Cup organising committee website (www.sc.qa), on a private visit to the country recently.

The Liverpool great said the Asian teams are also benefitting from the expertise of coaches who have managed top sides in Europe and he hopes the gap will be narrowed down further by the time the 2022 World Cup starts in Qatar in four year's time.

"Asian coaches are getting access to top clubs in Europe, while many players compete at the highest level. As a result, a number of Asian teams are highly organised and feature players with a great attitude. I'm sure they will keep improving and bridge the gap further by 2022."

When it came to picking his best among the Asian lot, Souness had no qualms whatsoever in choosing those players who had plied their trade in the Premier League.

"Son Heung-min is extremely gifted - he has been very consistent for Spurs. The Koreans who have played in England have impressed me - Son and Ki Sung-yueng (Newcastle United), along with Park Ji-sung who did so well for Manchester United. They are very enthusiastic, always wanting to learn. They also have a never-say-die attitude and are extremely disciplined," Souness added.

(With SC/AFC media inputs).